High speed camera hire?

MrCostington

Hi,

I'm working on a mechanical device where using optoelectronics I'm trying to measure the movement of a part. It just moves about 12mm in about 20ms.

I'm not getting the results I'm expecting despite trying to dial it in the last few days, I think something must be bouncing, or flexing.

So my thoughts turned to a high speed camera as a contingency measure if I don't get anywhere with this soon.

This is the only one I could find at €250 a day:

https://www.filmequipmenthire.com/product/freefly-wave-high-speed-camera-2tb-rent-film-equipment-hire/

Any much cheaper solutions, as I'd be wasting days learning it since I don't even own a regular camera?

Thanks.

dinneenp

Why not hire somebody, post a request here?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055524252/photographic-services-offered-wanted-please-read-rules-in-opening-post

Shouldn't be a big job. A normal DSLR, macro lens, set up on a tripod, continuous shooting at a high shutter speed should capture it.

Gregor Samsa

I think to most people on this forum (including myself) high FPS cameras are ones that shoot 20 or 30 frames a second in photos mode - fine for nature and action and sport, but a far too slow to capture something flexing over the space of 20ms . Even in video mode, you're talking about 200, maybe 400 FPS max on the latest high-end mirrorless cameras. The kind of thing you're talking about here is pretty specialist. And you're right, you'd take a good while to learn how to use it. But there'll also be concepts that you've never come across before - what shutter angle is and how it affects the footage, the difference between the various video codecs, how to even get some of them to play on a computer, that would be trouble.

I'd also note that that camera doesn't include a lens, so you'r be renting that too. It uses E mount lenses, which are the ones Sony use on their mirrorless cameras, so they're very common, but it'll be an extra expense and you'd even have to figure out what lens you need for your particular application. The lens they have on the camera in the photos is a Arri Ultra Prime cinema lens, but it sounds like it takes more "standard" lenses too. If the part was very small, you might be looking at a specialist macro setup.

You'd also be looking at renting a lighting setup, as something being filmed at a few hundred or thousand frames a second is going to need to be well lit with lights who's flicker rate doesn't get picked up by the high FPS camera.

As for alternatives, this crowd in Westport rent out Phantom high speed cameras http://ctlfilms.com/high-speed-ireland/, but they don't have priced up and there's no way they'll be cheap. And again, the're incredibly specialist pieces of equipment.

If you can find someone with a Xiaomi 12 Pro or Huawei Mate 40 Pro Android phone, they do 1920fps video. Well, sort of. They use some computational trickery to get there, so the quality isn't going to be anything like the dedicated cameras above. But it would be way easier to use than an industrial slow motion cam.

MrCostington

@Gregor Samsa Many thanks for the detailed reply! As you said there is lots I don't know, I really only heard of his speed cameras from watching Mythbusters, and I think they often had problems capturing stuff.

If I do need this, I think I'll look to the phones as you suggest, had no idea they could do what you say. It looks like I could buy a phone like that for the cost of 3 days hire with a lens.

MrCostington

@dinneenp Thanks, had a quick look seems to be mostly wedding photographers there, but will keep it in mind.

5uspect

Phantom cameras that can shoot 10,000 frames per second and up can be hired from Ametek in Belfast. Most universities will have a high-speed camera, you will probably need to pay them something and bring your rig to them however.

MrCostington

@5uspect thanks for that. I found another solution but I will keep Ametek in mind, plus the universities!